Proposals to pile on regulations and to soak Coloradans of billions of dollars in new taxes will crowd the ballot you receive next month. Can you afford to shell out more of your hard-fought income to various governmental entities? Many Coloradans are struggling – and government already has so much. Should you give them more?

What are these proposals clamoring for your cash? First, government health care for all Coloradans through so-called ColoradoCare.  This one is on your ballot as Amendment 69. It would be paid for by a 10% increase in income tax, giving Colorado the highest income tax rate in the nation. And that’s just the beginning. This tax can be raised again and again as prompted by an unaccountable oversight board. Can you afford that?

When we look at other nations with ‘free’ healthcare as examples, we find that a complete government take-over just results in months of waiting for needed procedures and “officials” deciding who gets care. Why? Because there aren’t enough tax dollars to go around to cover the true costs.

In Colorado, businesses would surely shutter their doors due to this increased tax burden, taking away jobs and devastating our economy.

What might this mean for you? If Amendment 69 passes,the average Colorado family will pay over $2,000 more per year in state income taxes. In addition, let’s say you made $100,000 on the sale of your home, you would pay $10,000 from the sale to ColoradoCare. Can you afford that?

Next is Amendment 70, a 44% minimum wage increase. This may sound helpful to low wage earners, but it’s not. It has borne out in Seattle and Washington D.C. that a large minimum wage increase actually decreases the availability of jobs and the number of hours worked. A recent Colorado study reveals it will result in a loss of 90,000 jobs in the near future. For example, food service is often hit hardest. Restaurants that now pay just over $8/hour for minimum wage will need to pay $12. They will have to scramble to balance their income with their expenses and either raise the cost of food, cut workers hours, lay off employees, or all of the above. Something’s gotta give.

On top of these issues, you may scan down your ballot to find that your local school district wants hundreds of millions dollars through a new bond and/or mill levy. But before you have an emotional tug to believe these districts need more money, you should look closer at how much money already goes to increased bureaucratic costs versus “the kids.”  Stewardship over your current tax dollars for programs should first be proven before there is any talk about more revenue.

This November when you decide how to vote on the various ballot measures, sold as dire needs through clever messaging that tugs on your heart-strings, stop and think about it. Don’t let the rhetoric, designed to get your vote and your dollars fool you into believing the government needs more than it already has. Remember, it is your money and the first place it belongs is in your own pocket, to pay your bills and meet the needs of your own family.